


I’m always up when the stars are

by kurojiri



Series: Iron Man Bingo 2019 Fills [3]
Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Gen, Growing Up, Howard Stark Mentioned - Freeform, Kid Tony Stark, Late Night Writing, Late at Night, Maria Stark Mentioned, Nannies, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, curfews, pressure of being a kid genius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-03-03
Packaged: 2019-11-08 14:16:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17982671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kurojiri/pseuds/kurojiri
Summary: Jarvis knew how late Tony could stay up at night.





	I’m always up when the stars are

**Author's Note:**

> Slowly, but surely, I'm making process of my card. No bingo in sight yet. (Still crossing my fingers.)
> 
> Square Fill: Late for curfew

Something about Stark genes meant that staying awake at night was a simple task to perform. When he had been younger, Tony had found that mornings were pretty, and lonely like his mom. She had always been up before the sun rays touched the whole sky. Jarvis too, when he had always been the one to wake him up when his nannies couldn’t. He preferred it that way. Having someone that he knew that liked his company to be the one to watch the sunrise with.

But when the nights were open to all, Tony’s mind worked the best. The numbers made sense, his fingers, still too young, itched to grab all the tools he needed and wanted for any project he was working on. His aspirations were like a river streaming down as he wrote every word in his many notebooks. Tony liked the nights when his father was away for meetings and trips overseas because it meant he could freely stay in the lounge with his books out with his notes close by. He knew of his curfew that had been modified by his mother.

He had memorized it by the millions of times his nannies told him when he had been working, planning and reconstructing his projects. It hadn’t been like he kept up the time limit himself, he had an active brain that would not let him rest. He used it as a game of hide-and-seek from his nannies and with Jarvis when curfew came around. It may have been mean to get them to freak out, but when they hadn’t really liked him, he thought it had been fair for them working for the checks. And if they couldn’t handle him very well, then good riddance when they’ve quit. He’d still have his mom and Jarvis. That would always be plenty for him.

Tony had been in the middle of a breakthrough from a project his father assigned him when a warm hand patted his head, “Young master, it’s nearly ten.”

“Jarvis!” His head whirled to see his butler giving him his infamous stern, but kind, look to start packing everything up. “Can’t I have twenty—ten minutes more? I almost got the skeleton done.”

“You know the rules, Mrs. Stark will be upset if she heard you didn’t get any proper sleep.”

“But Jarvis, I want to finish this before he comes back.”

He may have started feeling scared about disappointing his father lately, but that hadn’t shrunk how much he wanted to hear him saying how proud he was of Tony. He knew Jarvis was aware of that fact too. The stalemate didn’t last long, when it came down to Jarvis, he had always been the one to carry him back to his room, where he changed into his pjs and washed his teeth. The story had been cut short, with a nightlight near his night stand, but they both knew that once he left the room Tony would not fall asleep. He would instead go over to his notebook and scribble about his projects and anything else that remotely interesting to test out later.

The lamp would be on low, with the stars shining bright from outside his window. Nights were peaceful after curfew; soothing so long as he had a source of light near him. He would keep writing, even when Jarvis would come to check on him, because he was Tony Stark, the boy whose head wouldn’t stop working after curfew especially when he had an idea that wouldn’t stop sprouting from his head.

After all, every new idea could provide a new alternative perspective for yesterday's dreams.


End file.
